The 5 best shows on TV tonight: Monday 10 May

Amy Johnson
·Contributor
·3 min read
The top TV picks for Monday 10 May.
The top TV picks for Monday 10 May.

Fans of Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton are no doubt anticipating the return of Inside No 9 tonight.

Able to keep itself fresh and exciting with self-contained episodes, the series is now into its sixth series - and in the season opener we meet a bunch of thieves on a diamond heist in Commedia dell’Arte masks.

Also heading into a new series is Motherland, which is now on its third run.

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Meanwhile, book club show Between the Covers is back and new two-part drama Three Families shines a light on the restrictive abortion laws that were in place in Northern Ireland up until 2019.

Between the Covers - 7.30pm - BBC Two

Between The Covers with Mel Giedroyc, Griff Rhys Jones, Sara Cox, Oti Mabuse and Rick Edwards. (BBC / Cactus)
Between The Covers with Mel Giedroyc, Griff Rhys Jones, Sara Cox, Oti Mabuse and Rick Edwards. (BBC / Cactus)

Sara Cox's book club is back for a second series and in the first episode is joined by Mel Giedroyc and Griff Rhys Jones, Strictly pro Oti Mabuse and presenter Rick Edwards.

The stars shares their favourite reads and also review the week's two book club picks; The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett and The Fine Art of Invisible Detection by Robert Goddard.

Three Families - 9pm - BBC One

Jonathan (Colin Morgan), Hannah (Amy James Kelly) in Three Families. (BBC/Studio Lambert/Steffan Hill)
Jonathan (Colin Morgan), Hannah (Amy James Kelly) in Three Families. (BBC/Studio Lambert/Steffan Hill)

The first of this two-part drama based on real life stories of women affected by Northern Ireland's abortion law airs tonight.

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It starts in 2013 when one mother is faced with a hard decision after her teenage daughter reveals she is pregnant.

Meanwhile, a young couple are devastated to learn their young child won't survive the pregnancy but find their options on what to do next are extremely limited.

Motherland - 9pm - BBC Two

Motherland returns for season three. (BBC/Merman)
Motherland returns for season three. (BBC/Merman)

Anna Maxwell Martin leaves Line of Duty's stern Carmichael behind as she returns as Julia in Motherland's third season.

When Julia is accused of causing a second wave during a nit outbreak at school, she throws a nit treatment party to make amends.

Meanwhile, Liz (Diane Morgan) waits to hear back about a job in the local shoe shop.

Inside No 9 - 9.30pm - BBC Two

Inside No 9 returns for its sixth series. (BBC/Sophie Mutevelian)
Inside No 9 returns for its sixth series. (BBC/Sophie Mutevelian)

Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton's twisty tales are back for a sixth outing with some predictably great guest stars.

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They're joined by Kevin Bishop, Gemma Whelan, Paterson Joseph, Rosa Robson and Dino Kelly for a masked-up diamond heist that's a mix of Quentin Tarantino and Commedia dell’Arte.

Jabbed! Inside Britain’s Vaccine Triumph - 10pm - Channel 4

Sir Patrick Vallance in a still from Jabbed! Inside Britain's Vaccine Triumph (Channel 4)
Sir Patrick Vallance in a still from Jabbed! Inside Britain's Vaccine Triumph (Channel 4)

With over two-thirds of UK adults now having received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, the rollout programme appears to have been a success so far.

This documentary looks into the story of the people that made it happen and the six-month journey that lead to the vaccine being made available.

Watch: Oti Mabuse says next Strictly series is potentially her last